Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Comparing and contrasting three poems that portray the yearning to belong Essay

We all long to be a part of something and to feel accepted, irrespective of age, culture and society. Similarly, Stephen Spender’s poem, â€Å"My Parents kept Me from Children who were Rough†, Moniza Alvi’s â€Å"An Unknown Girl† and Phyllis McCormack’s â€Å"Crabbit Old Woman† talk about how each of the poets long to be a part of a certain society or culture, and this longing outlines the underlying theme across all three poems. My Parents kept Me from Children who were Rough is about childhood bullying and regret. The narrator experiences bullying at a young age and I sense a feeling of regret as the poet wished he could be a part of the group of rough boys. I get the impression that the narrator, now at his adult stage, feels that he did not make the most of his childhood, and this was perhaps due to class differentials. Whereas, Moniza Alvi’s poem reveals how the narrator had left her hometown at a young stage and when she returns, she yearns to be a part of it. I believe she finds it difficult to reconcile her roots with her foreign lifestyle and falls under the dilemma where she is forced to choose one life, despite her strong desire for both. We get a contrasting idea in Crabbit Old Woman, as it is a plea to break free from the stereotypical image of old people. The old woman feels that she is being judged unfairly because her body has crumbled. She expresses how her soul remains intact, and would like the nurses to realize that her â€Å"battered heart swells† with undiscovered vivacity. All the three poems have an underlying theme of belonging. My parents†¦ is about how the narrator â€Å"longed† to fit in with the group of bullies. The world being so brutal, made growing up hard for the narrator. At a young age, the narrator probably needed to feel wanted and important and hence, wanted to be part of a group. There are many other significant themes present, such as a theme of childhood bullying, as the narrator fears the boys who had â€Å"muscles like irons†. A theme of regret, coupled with loneliness is distinguished, as the poet â€Å"longed to forgive† the bullies, but never had the chance. The constant use of â€Å"I† and â€Å"Me† tells the readers how the poet was lonesome. Therefore, I get the impression that the poem is written based on a bitter childhood memory. I feel sorry for the poet as he was made fun of for his â€Å"lisp† and the bullies’ â€Å"salt-coarse pointing†, which seems to have a ffected the poet’s life greatly, even throughout his adult phase. Similarly, in An unknown girl, the poet wants to belong to her native community, which she once left behind. There is a theme of admiration, as her fascination for the â€Å"evening bazaar studded with neon† is clearly depicted. In addition to that, a theme of self-identity is found, as the poet is desperately trying to find herself through her roots. She is â€Å"unknown† to herself. Whereas, the narrator in Crabbit Old Woman wants to belong in a world and society untouched by the evils of stereotype. She would like to feel accepted and gain the same respect as everybody else. She hopes the â€Å"nurses† would include her in their world, and would look beyond her physical inabilities, in order to admire and recognise the beautiful life she has lived and experienced. Alongside that central theme, a great deal of regret is conveyed, as the narrator immensely resents the way she is stereotyped, and hopes to prove that she is still young at heart. There is also a nostalgic sensation in the poem, as the narrator indulges in reminisces about her past experiences and life stages. I believe that the titles of each poem represent the reason for the narrators’ inability to belong. â€Å"My Parents kept Me from Children who were Rough† suggests how the poet blames his parents for not being able to bask in the pleasures the bullies experienced, as they were very protective of him. I get the impression that he envied the other children’s freedom, in contrast to his restricted life enforced upon him. On the other hand, the title â€Å"An Unknown Girl† has a double meaning as it could refer to the actual girl hennaing the poet’s hand or it may refer to the poet itself. The poet finds this culture overwhelming yet admires it, and she strongly craves to be a part of it. Moreover, the title â€Å"Crabbit Old Woman† itself illustrates the way the old woman is perceived by the nurses. This stereotypical image is what prevents the nurses from exploring the real â€Å"old woman† and prevents her from belonging into their worl d. Structure aids a reader to visualise a poem and the free verse structure in An Unknown Girl expresses the narrator’s exploration of thought and conveys her dream-like admiration. The lack of pauses in the poem is successful, as these would break the connection between the narrator and the bazaar. I felt the layout of the poem was particularly striking, and this furthermore made me realize that it could symbolize the pretty henna, which is described as â€Å"icing† to us, enhancing its graceful manner. Similarly, the use of enjambment in Crabbit Old Woman depicts to the reader the constant running of thoughts and memories of the various stages of life of the old woman. This creates a fast pace coupled with a constant rhyme and free flowing rhythm, which contrasts with the impression the nurses have of old people being slow. I believe the poet chose to use a fast pace and rhyme, to further emphasis that point. Moreover, I feel the use of three structured stanzas with four lines each in My parents†¦ made me realize how the narrator was always forced to follow his parents’ rules and hence, control himself from many things. As a child, one is helpless in front of his or her parents’ decisions and therefore, I feel as if the author felt caged. I sometimes feel obligated to my parents’ decisions and this often aggravates me, hence I can understand the underlying tone of anger and blame placed upon the parents in this poem. The use of effective language by the poets helps suggest the ideas of the poems. The constant use of similes in My Parents†¦ show the child’s admiration and interest for the bullies; as â€Å"muscles like iron† suggests strength and power, which are qualities that generally excite young boys. â€Å"Torn Clothes† reveal class differentiation and this helped justify the reason why the parents did not want the narrator to be a part of the bullies. On the contrary, Moniza Alvi uses striking imagery in her poem, as she paints a wonderful metaphoric image in our minds depicting her state of longing to be a part of this culture. The way the narrator will â€Å"lean across a country [India] with my hands outstretched longing for the unknown girl in the neon bazaar† is a very powerful image. I can almost imagine an anxious woman holding out her arms, in hope to receive her roots; it gives me the idea that the narrator is practically begging for this connection with her hometown. â€Å"Colours leave the street float up in balloons† is another influential metaphoric image. This symbolizes how the poet is trying to reach out for something [her roots], but it is not within her grasp. Moreover, the constant repetition of â€Å"an unknown girl is hennaing my hand† gives me the impression that the poet needs to constantly remind herself that she connects with this place; showing her desperation to remain connected to her roots. I chose these poems as I felt I could relate to them very well. I can understand Alvi’s situation, as I myself am away from my country of origin and often I find myself indulging in a more foreign culture, yet many a times I get nostalgic about the place I come from, despite feeling detached and distant from it. In addition, I think I could share my thoughts and feelings very well with My parents†¦ as it is about a young adult, just like me. Fitting in and being part of a group of children is very vital and therefore, I solemnly sympathize with the narrator. Lastly, I think Crabbit Old Woman deals with a great problem of stereotypical images, which are present in all works of life. It was inspiring to see the old woman standing up against these stereotypical images created by society. The poem made me to realize that I need to offer more respect and admiration for the older generation. All the three poems are written in a unique style and each one conveys very deep issues, in accordance with the universal theme of belonging. All the poets were very much successful in conveying their ideas and they were able to create a lasting impact upon the readers.

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Diabetes and Nutrition

Diabetes mellitus is a continual disorder of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism in which blood levels of glucose and lipids are elevated. This abnormal metabolism results from a relative lack of insulin, either too little insulin is secreted or the insulin that is secreted is not effective. In addition, diabetes is associated with chronic systemic complications, which, over time, can affect the retina, kidneys, nerves, and cardiovascular system. The most common classifications of diabetes mellitus include type I, or insulin-dependent, diabetes mellitus (IDDM); type II, non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM); and gestational diabetes (GD).How it is DevelopedThe problems of diabetes originate in an organ located behind the stomach about the length of a human hand called the pancreas. The pancreas is necessary for both digesting food and regulating energy. It is the regulation of energy for the body that is important in the development of diabetes. The pancreas produces hormones that metabolize food. These hormones regulate the use of glucose, a simple sugar, which is used for most of the activities in our bodies. The pancreas regulates energy in a variety of behaviors in which humans engage such as exercise and movement, responding to trauma and stress, and infections.The pancreas emits three different types of hormones. Insulin is the first hormone that is produced when glucose rises in the blood. Insulin usually rises after eating a meal, and excess glucose that is not used is stimulated by insulin to be stored in muscles and fat cells so that energy can be used later. The liver also stores excess glucose in the form of a carbohydrate called glycogen. The second type of pancreatic hormone is glucagon. Glucagon breaks down glycogen stored in the liver so that it can be used as energy when blood glucose supplies are down. The third type of pancreatic hormone is called somatostatin, thought to be important in regulating both insulin and glucagon.When diabe tes develops, this balanced control system does not operate properly. The glucose in the bloodstream increases, and the cells are not able to utilize it. The individual develops hyperglycemia (excess glucose in the blood). This can be detected by measuring the glucose in the blood from a blood sample, or if the glucose is elevated enough, it can be detected in the urine as spillover. This sort of situation occurs when there is not enough insulin to permit the cells to utilize the glucose, or there is resistance most likely at the cellular level to the presence of insulin. Both cases produce diabetes.Symptoms of DiabetesSome of the symptoms of Diabetes Mellitus are increased thirst, increased urination, weight loss even though the individual is eating more, fatigue, nausea, and vomiting, skin infections, vaginitis, blurred vision, bladder infections, and impotence in men and cessation of menses in women.One severe symptom of diabetes is diabetic ketoacidosis. This symptom sometimes p roduces slightly sweet-smelling breath that is caused by acetone, a metabolic byproduct, when the body is forced to burn fatty acids rather than glucose. This process becomes more and more toxic to the body as it continues; the individual may develop diabetic coma and die. Ketoacidosis occurs when individuals are either not getting enough insulin or the insulin is not adequate to allow cells of the body to utilize the glucose.Effects of DiabetesDiabetes has two types of long-term effects. One type is associated with blood vessel involvement. Damage to the large vessels puts the diabetic at greater risk of stroke, heart attack, and gangrene of the feet. When small blood vessels are damaged, eyes, kidneys, and nerves become damaged. The other long-term effect is nerve damage usually in the feet, but also occasionally in the hands. This nerve damage is called diabetic neuropathy. This damage may cause a painful burning sensation with loss of sensation over time, making the body part mo re subject to injury and infection. Foot ulcers and gangrene can develop, with further damage in the extremities. In men, diabetic neuropathy may cause erectile impotence.Nutrition for DiabetesConsultation with a dietitian familiar with children and with type 2 diabetes is important for all patients. The dietitian should assess the nutritional status and practices of the patient and then counsel them to provide a meal plan which, at least initially, does not deviate in a major way from their usual eating practices. Changes made gradually, through subsequent appointments and interviews, frequently achieve compliance more successfully than does radical and rapid change.Individuals providing counseling must be clear about the differences in the management of patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Because obesity is a typical finding in type 2 diabetes and caloric restriction results in improved glycemic control and insulin sensitivity, modest caloric restriction and weight loss or m aintenance are important goals: so is correction of the dyslipidemia, which frequently accompanies the metabolic syndrome or IRS.In general, calories from dietary fat should not exceed 30% of energy intake, and calories from saturated fat should not exceed 10%. An effort is also made to limit cholesterol in the diet to

Monday, July 29, 2019

Accounting Handout 7.1

Accounting Handout 7.1 Essay Assignment 8. 1 Handout 1. Internal controls are designed to safeguard assets, encourage employees to follow company policies, promote operational efficiency, and ensure accurate accounting records. Requirements R1. Which objective is most important? R2. Which must the internal controls accomplish for the business to survive? Give your reason. 2. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act affects public companies. Requirement R1. How does the Sarbanes-Oxley Act relate to internal controls? Be specific. 3. Separation of duties is a key internal control. Requirement R1. Explain in your own words why separation of duties is often described as the cornerstone of internal control for safeguarding assets. Describe what can happen if the same person has custody of an asset and also accounts for the asset. 4. There are 5 characteristics identified in the chapter as pitfalls of e-commerce. Requirement R1. List the 5 characteristics identified in the chapter as pitfalls of e-commerce. 5. Answer the following questions about the controls in bank accounts: Requirements R1. Which bank control protects against forgery? R2. Which bank control reports what the bank did with the customer’s cash each period? R3. Which bank control confirms the amount of money put into the bank? 6. The Cash account of Safe and Secure Security Systems reported a balance of $2,490 at May 31, 2011. There were outstanding checks totaling $500 and a May 31 deposit in transit of $300. The bank statement, which came from Tri Cities Bank, listed the May 31 balance of $3,360. Included in the bank balance was a collection of $680 on account from Ryan Saar, a Safe and Secure customer who pays the bank directly. The bank statement also shows a $20 service charge and $10 of interest revenue that Safe and Secure earned on its bank balance. Requirement R1. Prepare Safe and Secure’s bank reconciliation at May 31. 7. Review your results from preparing Safe and Secure Security Systems’ bank reconciliation in problem #6. Requirement R1. Journalize the company’s transactions that arise from the bank reconciliation. Include an explanation with each entry. 1 8. Diedre Chevis sells furniture for DuBois Furniture Company. Chevis is having financial problems and takes $500 that she received from a customer. She rang up the sale through the cash register. Requirement R1. What will alert Betsy DuBois, the controller, that something is wrong? . Review the internal controls over cash receipts by mail presented in the chapter. Requirement R1. Exactly what is accomplished by the final step in the process, performed by the controller? 10. A purchasing agent for Westgate Wireless receives the goods that he purchases and also approves payment for the goods. Requirements R1. How could this purchasing agent cheat his co mpany? R2. How could Westgate avoid this internal control weakness? 11. The following petty cash transactions of Lexite Laminated Surfaces occurred in August: Requirement R1. Prepare journal entries without explanations. 12. Gwen O’Malley, an accountant for Ireland Limited, discovers that her supervisor, Blarney Stone, made several errors last year. Overall, the errors overstated the company’s net income by 20%. It is not clear whether the errors were deliberate or accidental. Requirement R1. What should O’Malley do? 13. The following items could appear on a bank reconciliation: Requirement R1. Classify each item as (1) an addition to the book balance, (2) a subtraction from the book balance, (3) an addition to the bank balance, or (4) a subtraction from the bank balance. 2 14. Louise’s Dance Studio created a $200 imprest petty cash fund. During the month, the fund custodian authorized and signed petty cash tickets as follows: Requirement R1. Make the general journal entries to a. create the petty cash fund and b. record its replenishment. Cash in the fund totals $15, so $10 is missing. Include explanations. 15. Each of the following situations has an internal control weakness. Requirements R1. Identify the missing internal control characteristics in each situation. R2. Identify the possible problem caused by each control weakness. R3. Propose a solution to each internal control problem. 16. The April cash records of Donald Insurance follow: READ: Calculus EssayDonald Insurance’s Cash account shows a balance of $17,040 at April 30. On April 30, Donald Insurance received the following bank statement: 3 Additional data for the bank reconciliation: Requirements R1. Prepare the bank reconciliation of Donald Insurance at April 30, 2011. R2. Journalize any required entries from the bank reconciliation. 17. On November 1, Fab Salad Dressings creates a petty cash fund with an imprest balance of $400. During November, Sunny Lewis, the fund custodian, signs the following petty cash tickets: On November 30, prior to replenishment, the fund contains these tickets plus cash of $245. The accounts affected by petty cash payments are Office supplies expense, Travel expense, Delivery expense, Entertainment expense, and Inventory. Requirements R1. Explain the characteristics and the internal control features of an imprest fund. R2. On November 30, how much cash should the petty cash fund hold before it is replenished? R3. Journalize all required entries to create the fund and replenish it. Include explanations. R4. Make the December 1 entry to increase the fund balance to $450. Include an explanation, and briefly describe what the custodian does. 4

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Open System Interconnection (OSI) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Open System Interconnection (OSI) - Essay Example The data transport or 'lower layers' of the OSI model handle data transport issues and are implemented in hardware and software. The lowest layer, the physical layer, is responsible for actually placing information on the medium. As a side note, most systems today use a modified version of this model; for example TCP/IP uses a 6-layer model. The OSI model is generic and is not a communication model -it makes no assumptions about programming language bindings, operating system bindings or application and user interface issues. Communications are implemented through protocols which are a formal set of rules and conventions that govern how computers exchange information over a network medium. A protocol implements the functions of one or more of the OSI layers. The table below describes the role of each of the 7 layers in greater detail: Responsible for activating, maintaining and deactivating the physical link between network objects. Network interface cards and interfaces on routers run at this level. Physical layer specifications define characteristics such as voltage levels, timing of voltage changes, physical data rates, maximum transmission distances, and physical connectors. Physical layer implementations can be categorized as either LAN or WAN specifications. When an application on Computer 1 sends dat... Provides error checking, error recovery and flow control. The transport protocols used on the Internet are TCP and UDP. 3 Network Layer Makes the upper layers independent of the data transmission, switching technologies, and topology of the network. Determines which path(s) in the network that data will be routed. This layer is very important to the design and configuration for internetworking. IP and routing protocols operate here. 2 Data Link Layer Provides reliable transfer across the physical links. Establishes the beginning and end of blocks of data (with synchronization when necessary) Reorder frames which are out of sequence [framing]; error detection and correction rate of data transmission [flow control]. It is subdivided into the logical Link Control (LLC) and Media Access Control (MAC) sub layers. Bridges and switches interface here. 1 Physical Layer Responsible for activating, maintaining and deactivating the physical link between network objects. Network interface cards and interfaces on routers run at this level. Physical layer specifications define characteristics such as voltage levels, timing of voltage changes, physical data rates, maximum transmission distances, and physical connectors. Physical layer implementations can be categorized as either LAN or WAN specifications. electrical optical mechanical When an application on Computer 1 sends data to Computer 2 that data passes through each layer of the OSI model on Computer 1 until it gets to the Physical layer. At that point it is transmitted on the physical medium (e.g. cabling) across to the Physical layer on Computer 2. The data then passes up through the Physical, Data, Network, Transport, Session, Presentation and

Quantitative and qualitative assignment wk3 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Quantitative and qualitative wk3 - Assignment Example The need for undertaking simultaneous changes, in this case, is to ensure that other problems that might arise after implementation of a particular solution is foreseen and planned for if or not sorted in the first step. In any market niche, survival of a particular business highly depends on the handling of challenges and constraints faced (Pettie,  2010). It is crucial in any business to understand the structure of formation of the network through a good understanding of several terminologies used in network theory or rather network analysis. A tree refers to the interconnections of the sub-graphs in a system without the nodes in the system containing complete loops. A spanning tree, in this case, is that part of the tree that contains all the vertices and is in the form of a complete tree on itself. A particular tree, for instance, has various spanning trees that extend in different directions. On the other hand, minimum spanning tree refers to the sub-graphs that have the least summation in terms of weight and lengths. These are crucial parameters in various aspects of a particular business and thus the success of the business partly depends on good understanding of the

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Does Violent Video Gaming Have an Effect on Children Research Paper

Does Violent Video Gaming Have an Effect on Children - Research Paper Example Kim et al (2010) have mentioned that â€Å"excessive playing of video games may result in impaired academic performance (Kim et al, 2010). It is an accepted fact that most of the modern videogames are thought provoking and hence it can improve children’s skills such as numerical ability, problem solving, decision making, synthesis, analysis etc. At the same time, it should be noted that spending too much time for playing videogames may have detrimental effect on children as far as the academic achievements of the children are concerned. The increased influence of video games will force the children to decrease the time spent for learning academic topics. In other words, children who spent more time for playing videogames may spent little time for doing their home works, assignments or project works. Failure in doing home works may result in poor academic performances of the children in schools. Poor academic performances of the children may generate criticism from family and teachers which may generate frustration in the minds of children. Increased frustration may often come out in the form of violent behaviors. In other words, even nonviolent videogames can generate violent behavior indirectly among children. Children may discuss the themes of the violent videogames they played even at schools and they may try to implement it in their real life also. For example, Grand Theft Auto is one of the most popular videogames among children at present. The theme of this videogame is a motor vehicle theft as the name indicates. Same way Mortal Kombat is another videogame in which the major theme is fighting. Such videogames will definitely encourage children to do the same activities in their real life as they... Children of current generation are not much keen in playing physically hardworking sports and games; they are more interested in spending as much time in front of the computers, mobile phones or television sets for playing videogames. According to Gouzouasis et al (n. d), â€Å"the type of extra-curricular activities like playing an instrument versus playing video games has differential effects on the person’s skill acquisition and personality development†. The themes of majority of the videogames currently available are violence. Many people believe that violent videogames play a vital role in the personality development of children. Moreover, many of the school violence incidents are happening as a result of the increasing influence of violent videogames upon children. Children who engaged in playing violent videogames may try to practice violence in their real life also. At the same time many other people believe that violence in videogames may not affect childrenâ⠂¬â„¢s attitude or character very much. Videogames playing may have some utility as far as the mental development of the children are concerned. However, playing violent videogames may always affect the children negatively. Unknowingly children may develop violent behaviors as a result of continuous playing of violent videogames. Since children have less awareness in segregating good and evil, they may often try to practice the themes they observed in the violent videogames in their real life. Many of the school violence incidents are taking place as a result of the increasing influence of violent videogames upon children. In short, videogame playing, especially the violent videogame playing should be restricted among children. Parents and teachers should focus more on student activities and they should assist the children in the selection of videogames for playing.

Friday, July 26, 2019

Types of Business Organisations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Types of Business Organisations - Essay Example The very best thing you can do for a superintended is not to give him more money, more buildings, or a better contract. Instead, give him a tool to make his average teachers just a little bit better and you will see a vastly greater impact across the district than any model school or blue-ribbon program will ever bring. Our coaches are master teachers who are comfortable in any classroom. They love children and love working with children in schools. They possess energy and a positive outlook, making them the kind of people that others enjoy being around.Above all, they are able to communicate their deep, honest belief in teachers, even as they suggest ways for teachers to improve Preparing the stakeholders, which includes the classroom teachers, for the new instructional facilitator’s positions is essential. According to Water’s and Grubb (2004), leadership initiating a change, such as the instructional facilitator positions, must understand the magnitude of the change implemented to use the correct leadership practices. Strategically planning and outlining expectations of the new roles can provide powerful support for the new positions. When the destination is clear and goals loaded with specifics, there is little question about what work is completed or unfinished. According to Heifetz (1994), knowing how hard to push and when to let up is central to leadership. Some teachers may need more time to adapt to the idea of a professional development opportunity that exists in their district and classroom. ... There is no guarantee that the state of Wyoming will fund the instructional facilitator positions past the two-year time frame. The intent being that if a district decides the positions positively affect student achievement after the two-year time frame, the district will provide the funding for instructional facilitators and plan for their sustainability. The sustainability of the instructional facilitator positions will be greatly impacted by the attitude of the teachers towards the instructional facilitators, and what percentage of the teachers invite the instructional facilitators to help them. Researchers at the Kansas University Center for Research on Learning have been refining and evaluating instructional coaching programs. Researchers at the Kansas University Center for Research on Learning, (2004) reports that there are less tangible qualities that impact the success of instructional facilitators. Our coaches are master teachers who are comfortable in any classroom. They love children and love working with children in schools. They possess energy and a positive outlook, making them the kind of people that others enjoy being around. Above all, they are able to communicate their deep, honest belief in teachers, even as they suggest ways for teachers to improve. (p.1) An instructional facilitator's success will depend greatly on how receptive the classroom teachers are to welcoming the instructional facilitators in their classroom. Teacher's attitudes towards the instructional facilitators are crucial. According to Knight (2006) at the University of Kansas, "If teachers like a coach, they usually will try out what the coach suggests. If they don't like the coach, they will even resist helpful

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Challenges of Programming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Challenges of Programming - Essay Example Specifically, the subsection on Nonlinear Programming included a discussion of profit graphs with nonproportional relationships. For the subsection on Decision Analysis, different decision criteria were explained. The subsection on Forecasting has a detailed discussion on forecasting techniques. The subsection on Queuing tackled different queuing systems. At the end of every subsection, the author reacts to the issues at hand. Managers can count on a number of quantitative decision making methods that can aid them in coming up with a set of sound judgments as the need arises. These methods include Nonlinear Programming, Decision Analysis, Forecasting, and Queuing. The following subsections will provide a discussion of these methods and the text of Hillier and Hillier (2010) was used extensively. Linear Programming is a subclass of mathematical programming that uses â€Å"straight-line† or linear relationships among the constraints and objective functions (Gass, 2003). The problem falls under Nonlinear programming when at least one of these relationships is nonlinear in nature. Thus, Linear Programming assumes a proportional relationship between activity levels and overall measure of performance while Nonlinear Programming is used to model nonproportional relationships. There are four (4) types of profit graphs associated with nonproportional relationships. First, the Decreasing Marginal Returns wherein the dependent variable increases at a decreasing rate as the dependent variable increases. Second, the Piecewise Linear which consists of a sequence of connected line segments. Third, the graph of Discontinuities which suddenly jumps up or down. Fourth, the Increasing Marginal Returns wherein the dependent variable increases at an increasing rate. Decision Analysis uses a methodological approach to rationally addressing management problems that are much more complicated and display higher levels of uncertainty

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Rehabilitation Plan Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Rehabilitation Plan - Research Paper Example Leaders from different origin should come together and discuss to the public the importance of encouraging physical education among the youths as a tool for the advancement of economic, societal and personal health condition to an individual. Leaders need to improve the level of development and improve the relationship between the people in charge. Committed leaders also take into consideration the process of engaging with other stakeholders to discuss together major issues that need to be improved within their locality in a significant manner. On the other hand, leaders and their representatives need to conduct significant meetings within their communities due to the fact that they understand best their cultures and need to act as mediators to their subjects (SDCMHC, 2010). Committed leaders are always after stress free state to all members of the society. Mental health can be improved by the involvement in constructive activities that can be organized by leaders. Community leaders, however, need to organize good strategies for improving the ethnicity and cultural range by building, strengthening, developing and problem solving amongst members of the community. Through maintaining all these factors by a leader, both the youths and the adults will get an opportunity to improve their psychological nature of thinking and improvement of physical health by organizing tournaments for rehabilitation purposes. Both the CS4L and SDCMHC agreed that all should provide respect, training, development, employment opportunities and cultural competence to ensure positive production at all levels with regardless of color, race, origin, religion, sex, marital status, political differences and disability among others to foster rehabilitation processes within and between the members of the society (SDCMHC, 2010). Key leaders should be well conversant with the cultures of the community involved

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Economics DD202B-1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Economics DD202B-1 - Essay Example Every other economic variable gave up simultaneously as is obvious from the next graph that depicts the trends taken by the rate of unemployment and that of inflation. While the rate of unemployment had reached a peak during 1933 when it equalled 25.2%, the rate of inflation as measured by the GDP deflator had been -11.46% in 1932. Hence, the economy at that point of time was suffering from a heavy recession. In fact, such was the vigour of the crisis that the monetarists could not inject liquidity into the nation even through lowering the rate of interest, supposed to discourage deposits and encourage loans. People around the economy had lost their trust in its fundamentals and wanted to hold back whatever they could, so that aggregate demand was low. A low aggregate demand triggered a low aggregate supply and thus, equilibrium output production was low as well. The national government in their attempt to correct the scenario, restricted international trade and adopted a protectioni st policy, which deteriorated the problem further. It was when every school of economics had failed to correct the impact of Great Depression that the Keynesian school of economics came to as the rescuer. John Maynard Keynes ruled out the prevailing classical concepts of economic growth. Instead he stressed upon spending of more money. He instructed the national government to open up to international trade and hence, stimulate aggregate demand and supply. Moreover, he also suggested the administration to invest heftily into the economy even if that amounted to incurring deficits. Moreover, the rate of employment must be at its maximum achievable point so that people start earning and hence are instigated towards more spending (Barro, 2008, p. 405). This strategy introduced by Keynes came to be known in macroeconomics as the Keynesian school of

Critique of Pure Reason Essay Example for Free

Critique of Pure Reason Essay Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) is the central figure in modern philosophy. He synthesized early modern rationalism and empiricism, set the terms for much of nineteenth and twentieth century philosophy, and continues to exercise a significant influence today in metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, political philosophy, aesthetics, and other fields. The fundamental idea of Kants â€Å"critical philosophy† — especially in his three Critiques: the Critique of Pure Reason (1781, 1787), the Critique of Practical Reason (1788), and the Critique of the Power of Judgment (1790) — is human autonomy. He argues that the human understanding is the source of the general laws of nature that structure all our experience; and that human reason gives itself the moral law, which is our basis for belief in God, freedom, and immortality. Therefore, scientific knowledge, morality, and religious belief are mutually consistent and secure because they all rest on the same foundation of human autonomy, which is also the final end of nature according to the teleological worldview of reflecting judgment that Kant introduces to unify the theoretical and practical parts of his philosophical system. 1. Life and works Immanuel Kant was born April 22, 1724 in Konigsberg, near the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Today Konigsberg has been renamed Kaliningrad and is part of Russia. But during Kants lifetime Konigsberg was the capitol of East Prussia, and its dominant language was German. Though geographically remote from the rest of Prussia and other German cities, Konigsberg was then a major commercial center, an important military port, and a relatively cosmopolitan university town. [1] Kant was born into an artisan family of modest means. His father was a master harness maker, and his mother was the daughter of a harness maker, though she was better educated than most women of her social class. Kants family was never destitute, but his fathers trade was in decline during Kants youth and his parents at times had to rely on extended family for financial support. Kants parents were Pietist and he attended a Pietist school, the Collegium Fridericianum, from ages eight through fifteen. Pietism was an evangelical Lutheran movement that emphasized conversion, reliance on divine grace, the experience of religious emotions, and personal devotion involving regular Bible study, prayer, and introspection. Kant reacted strongly against the forced soul-searching to which he was subjected at the Collegium Fridericianum, in response to which he sought refuge in the Latin classics, which were central to the schools curriculum. Later the mature Kants emphasis on reason and autonomy, rather than emotion and dependence on either authority or grace, may in part reflect his youthful reaction against Pietism. But although the young Kant loathed his Pietist schooling, he had deep respect and admiration for his parents, especially his mother, whose â€Å"genuine religiosity† he described as â€Å"not at all enthusiastic. † According to his biographer, Manfred Kuehn, Kants parents probably influenced him much less through their Pietism than through their artisan values of â€Å"hard work, honesty, cleanliness, and independence,† which they taught him by example. [2] Kant attended college at the University of Konigsberg, known as the Albertina, where his early interest in classics was quickly superseded by philosophy, which all first year students studied and which encompassed mathematics and physics as well as logic, metaphysics, ethics, and natural law. Kants philosophy professors exposed him to the approach of Christian Wolff (1679–1750), whose critical synthesis of the philosophy of G. W. Leibniz (1646–1716) was then very influential in German universities. But Kant was also exposed to a range of German and British critics of Wolff, and there were strong doses of Aristotelianism and Pietism represented in the philosophy faculty as well. Kants favorite teacher was Martin Knutzen (1713–1751), a Pietist who was heavily influenced by both Wolff and the English philosopher John Locke (1632–1704). Knutzen introduced Kant to the work of Isaac Newton (1642–1727), and his influence is visible in Kants first published work, Thoughts on the True Estimation of Living Forces (1747), which was a critical attempt to mediate a dispute in natural philosophy between Leibnizians and Newtonians over the proper measurement of force. After college Kant spent six years as a private tutor to young children outside Konigsberg. By this time both of his parents had died and Kants finances were not yet secure enough for him to pursue an academic career. He finally returned to Konigsberg in 1754 and began teaching at the Albertina the following year. For the next four decades Kant taught philosophy there, until his retirement from teaching in 1796 at the age of seventy-two. Kant had a burst of publishing activity in the years after he returned from working as a private tutor. In 1754 and 1755 he published three scientific works — one of which, Universal Natural History and Theory of the Heavens (1755), was a major book in which, among other things, he developed what later became known as the nebular hypothesis about the formation of the solar system. Unfortunately, the printer went bankrupt and the book had little immediate impact. To secure qualifications for teaching at the university, Kant also wrote two Latin dissertations: the first, entitled Concise Outline of Some Reflections on Fire (1755), earned him the Magister degree; and the second, New Elucidation of the First Principles of Metaphysical Cognition (1755), entitled him to teach as an unsalaried lecturer. The following year he published another Latin work, The Employment in Natural Philosophy of Metaphysics Combined with Geometry, of Which Sample I Contains the Physical Monadology (1756), in hopes of succeeding Knutzen as associate professor of logic and metaphysics, though Kant failed to secure this position. Both the New Elucidation, which was Kants first work concerned mainly with metaphysics, and the Physical Monadology further develop the position on the interaction of finite substances that he first outlined in Living Forces. Both works depart from Leibniz-Wolffian views, though not radically. The New Elucidation in particular shows the influence of Christian August Crusius (1715–1775), a German critic of Wolff. [3] As an unsalaried lecturer at the Albertina Kant was paid directly by the students who attended his lectures, so he needed to teach an enormous amount and to attract many students in order to earn a living. Kant held this position from 1755 to 1770, during which period he would lecture an average of twenty hours per week on logic, metaphysics, and ethics, as well as mathematics, physics, and physical geography. In his lectures Kant used textbooks by Wolffian authors such as Alexander Gottlieb Baumgarten (1714–1762) and Georg Friedrich Meier (1718–1777), but he followed them loosely and used them to structure his own reflections, which drew on a wide range of ideas of contemporary interest. These ideas often stemmed from British sentimentalist philosophers such as David Hume (1711–1776) and Francis Hutcheson (1694–1747), some of whose texts were translated into German in the mid-1750s; and from the Swiss philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778), who published a flurry of works in the early 1760s. From early in his career Kant was a popular and successful lecturer. He also quickly developed a local reputation as a promising young intellectual and cut a dashing figure in Konigsberg society. After several years of relative quiet, Kant unleashed another burst of publications in 1762–1764, including five philosophical works. The False Subtlety of the Four Syllogistic Figures (1762) rehearses criticisms of Aristotelian logic that were developed by other German philosophers. The Only Possible Argument in Support of a Demonstration of the Existence of God (1762–3) is a major book in which Kant drew on his earlier work in Universal History and New Elucidation to develop an original argument for Gods existence as a condition of the internal possibility of all things, while criticizing other arguments for Gods existence. The book attracted several positive and some negative reviews. In 1762 Kant also submitted an essay entitled Inquiry Concerning the Distinctness of the Principles of Natural Theology and Morality to a prize competition by the Prussian Royal Academy, though Kants submission took second prize to Moses Mendelssohns winning essay (and was published with it in 1764). Kants Prize Essay, as it is known, departs more significantly from Leibniz-Wolffian views than his earlier work and also contains his first extended discussion of moral philosophy in print. The Prize Essay draws on British sources to criticize German rationalism in two respects: first, drawing on Newton, Kant distinguishes between the methods of mathematics and philosophy; and second, drawing on Hutcheson, he claims that â€Å"an unanalysable feeling of the good† supplies the material content of our moral obligations, which cannot be demonstrated in a purely intellectual way from the formal principle of perfection alone (2:299). [4] These themes reappear in the Attempt to Introduce the Concept of Negative Magnitudes into Philosophy (1763), whose main thesis, however, is that the real opposition of conflicting forces, as in causal relations, is not reducible to the logical relation of contradiction, as Leibnizians held. In Negative Magnitudes Kant also argues that the morality of an action is a function of the internal forces that motivate one to act, rather than of the external (physical) actions or their consequences. Finally, Observations on the Feeling of the Beautiful and the Sublime (1764) deals mainly with alleged differences in the tastes of men and women and of people from different cultures. After it was published, Kant filled his own interleaved copy of this book with (often unrelated) handwritten remarks, many of which reflect the deep influence of Rousseau on his thinking about moral philosophy in the mid-1760s. These works helped to secure Kant a broader reputation in Germany, but for the most part they were not strikingly original. Like other German philosophers at the time, Kants early works are generally concerned with using insights from British empiricist authors to reform or broaden the German rationalist tradition without radically undermining its foundations. While some of his early works tend to emphasize rationalist ideas, others have a more empiricist emphasis. During this time Kant was striving to work out an independent position, but before the 1770s his views remained fluid. In 1766 Kant published his first work concerned with the possibility of metaphysics, which later became a central topic of his mature philosophy. Dreams of a Spirit-Seer Elucidated by Dreams of Metaphysics, which he wrote soon after publishing a short Essay on Maladies of the Mind (1764), was occasioned by Kants fascination with the Swedish visionary Emanuel Swedenborg (1688–1772), who claimed to have insight into a spirit world that enabled him to make a series of apparently miraculous predictions. In this curious work Kant satirically compares Swedenborgs spirit-visions to the belief of rationalist metaphysicians in an immaterial soul that survives death, and he concludes that philosophical knowledge of either is impossible because human reason is limited to experience. The skeptical tone of Dreams is tempered, however, by Kants suggestion that â€Å"moral faith† nevertheless supports belief in an immaterial and immortal soul, even if it is not possible to attain metaphysical knowledge in this domain (2:373). In 1770, at the age of forty-six, Kant was appointed to the chair in logic and metaphysics at the Albertina, after teaching for fifteen years as an unsalaried lecturer and working since 1766 as a sublibrarian to supplement his income. Kant was turned down for the same position in 1758. But later, as his reputation grew, he declined chairs in philosophy at Erlangen (1769) and Jena (1770) in hopes of obtaining one in Konigsberg. After Kant was finally promoted, he gradually extended his repertoire of lectures to include anthropology (Kants was the first such course in Germany and became very popular), rational theology, pedagogy, natural right, and even mineralogy and military fortifications. In order to inaugurate his new position, Kant also wrote one more Latin dissertation: Concerning the Form and Principles of the Sensible and Intelligible World (1770), which is known as the Inaugural Dissertation. The Inaugural Dissertation departs more radically from both Wolffian rationalism and British sentimentalism than Kants earlier work. Inspired by Crusius and the Swiss natural philosopher Johann Heinrich Lambert (1728–1777), Kant distinguishes between two fundamental powers of cognition, sensibility and understanding (intelligence), where the Leibniz-Wolffians regarded understanding (intellect) as the only fundamental power. Kant therefore rejects the rationalist view that sensibility is only a confused species of intellectual cognition, and he replaces this with his own view that sensibility is distinct from understanding and brings to perception its own subjective forms of space and time — a view that developed out of Kants earlier criticism of Leibnizs relational view of space in Concerning the Ultimate Ground of the Differentiation of Directions in Space (1768). Moreover, as the title of the Inaugural Dissertation indicates, Kant argues that sensibility and understanding are directed at two different worlds: sensibility gives us access to the sensible world, while understanding enables us to grasp a distinct intelligible world. These two worlds are related in that what the understanding grasps in the intelligible world is the â€Å"paradigm† of â€Å"NOUMENAL PERFECTION,† which is â€Å"a common measure for all other things in so far as they are realities. † Considered theoretically, this intelligible paradigm of perfection is God; considered practically, it is â€Å"MORAL PERFECTION† (2:396). The Inaugural Dissertation thus develops a form of Platonism; and it rejects the view of British sentimentalists that moral judgments are based on feelings of pleasure or pain, since Kant now holds that moral judgments are based on pure understanding alone. After 1770 Kant never surrendered the views that sensibility and understanding are distinct powers of cognition, that space and time are subjective forms of human sensibility, and that moral judgments are based on pure understanding (or reason) alone. But his embrace of Platonism in the Inaugural Dissertation was short-lived. He soon denied that our understanding is capable of insight into an intelligible world, which cleared the path toward his mature position in the Critique of Pure Reason (1781), according to which the understanding (like sensibility) supplies forms that structure our experience of the sensible world, to which human knowledge is limited, while the intelligible (or noumenal) world is strictly unknowable to us. Kant spent a decade working on the Critique of Pure Reason and published nothing else of significance between 1770 and 1781. But its publication marked the beginning of another burst of activity that produced Kants most important and enduring works. Because early reviews of the Critique of Pure Reason were few and (in Kants judgment) uncomprehending, he tried to clarify its main points in the much shorter Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics That Will Be Able to Come Forward as a Science (1783). Among the major books that rapidly followed are the Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals (1785), Kants main work on the fundamental principle of morality; the Metaphysical Foundations of Natural Science (1786), his main work on natural philosophy in what scholars call his critical period (1781–1798); the second and substantially revised edition of the Critique of Pure Reason (1787); the Critique of Practical Reason (1788), a fuller discussion of topics in moral philosophy that builds on (and in some ways revises) the Groundwork; and the Critique of the Power of Judgment (1790), which deals with aesthetics and teleology. Kant also published a number of important essays in this period, including Idea for a Universal History With a Cosmopolitan Aim (1784) and Conjectural Beginning of Human History (1786), his main contributions to the philosophy of history; An Answer to the Question: What is Enlightenment? (1784), which broaches some of the key ideas of his later political essays; and What Does it Mean to Orient Oneself in Thinking? (1786), Kants intervention in the pantheism controversy that raged in German intellectual circles after F. H. Jacobi (1743–1819) accused the recently deceased G. E. Lessing (1729–1781) of Spinozism. With these works Kant secured international fame and came to dominate German philosophy in the late 1780s. But in 1790 he announced that the Critique of the Power of Judgment brought his critical enterprise to an end (5:170). By then K. L. Reinhold (1758–1823), whose Letters on the Kantian Philosophy (1786) popularized Kants moral and religious ideas, had been installed (in 1787) in a chair devoted to Kantian philosophy at Jena, which was more centrally located than Konigsberg and rapidly developing into the focal point of the next phase in German intellectual history. Reinhold soon began to criticize and move away from Kants views. In 1794 his chair at Jena passed to J. G. Fichte, who had visited the master in Konigsberg and whose first book, Attempt at a Critique of All Revelation (1792), was published anonymously and initially mistaken for a work by Kant himself. This catapulted Fichte to fame, but he too soon moved away from Kant and developed an original position quite at odds with Kants, which Kant finally repudiated publicly in 1799 (12:370–371). Yet while German philosophy moved on to assess and respond to Kants legacy, Kant himself continued publishing important works in the 1790s. Among these are Religion Within the Boundaries of Mere Reason (1793), which drew a censure from the Prussian King when Kant published the book after its second essay was rejected by the censor; The Conflict of the Faculties (1798), a collection of essays inspired by Kants troubles with the censor and dealing with the relationship between the philosophical and theological faculties of the university; On the Common Saying: That May be Correct in Theory, But it is of No Use in Practice (1793), Toward Perpetual Peace (1795), and the Doctrine of Right, the first part of the Metaphysics of Morals (1797), Kants main works in political philosophy; the Doctrine of Virtue, the second part of the Metaphysics of Morals (1797), a catalogue of duties that Kant had been planning for more than thirty years; and Anthropology From a Pragmatic Point of View (1798), based on Kants anthropology lectures. Several other compilations of Kants lecture notes from other courses were published later, but these were not prepared by Kant himself. Kant retired from teaching in 1796. For nearly two decades he had lived a highly disciplined life focused primarily on completing his philosophical system, which began to take definite shape in his mind only in middle age. After retiring he came to believe that there was a gap in this system separating the metaphysical foundations of natural science from physics itself, and he set out to close this gap in a series of notes that postulate the existence of an ether or caloric matter. These notes, known as the Opus Postumum, remained unfinished and unpublished in Kants lifetime, and scholars disagree on their significance and relation to his earlier work. It is clear, however, that these late notes show unmistakable signs of Kants mental decline, which became tragically precipitous around 1800. Kant died February 12, 1804, just short of his eightieth birthday. 2. Kants project in the Critique of Pure Reason. The main topic of the Critique of Pure Reason is the possibility of metaphysics, understood in a specific way. Kant defines metaphysics in terms of â€Å"the cognitions after which reason might strive independently of all experience,† and his goal in the book is to reach a â€Å"decision about the possibility or impossibility of a metaphysics in general, and the determination of its sources, as well as its extent and boundaries, all, however, from principles† (Axii. See also Bxiv; and 4:255–257). Thus metaphysics for Kant concerns a priori knowledge, or knowledge whose justification does not depend on experience; and he associates a priori knowledge with reason. The project of the Critique is to examine whether, how, and to what extent human reason is capable of a priori knowledge. 2. 1 The crisis of the Enlightenment To understand the project of the Critique better, let us consider the historical and intellectual context in which it was written. [5] Kant wrote the Critique toward the end of the Enlightenment, which was then in a state of crisis. Hindsight enables us to see that the 1780’s was a transitional decade in which the cultural balance shifted decisively away from the Enlightenment toward Romanticism, but of course Kant did not have the benefit of such hindsight. The Enlightenment was a reaction to the rise and successes of modern science in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The spectacular achievement of Newton in particular engendered widespread confidence and optimism about the power of human reason to control nature and to improve human life. One effect of this new confidence in reason was that traditional authorities were increasingly questioned. For why should we need political or religious authorities to tell us how to live or what to believe, if each of us has the capacity to figure these things out for ourselves? Kant expresses this Enlightenment commitment to the sovereignty of reason in the Critique: Our age is the age of criticism, to which everything must submit. Religion through its holiness and legislation through its majesty commonly seek to exempt themselves from it. But in this way they excite a just suspicion against themselves, and cannot lay claim to that unfeigned respect that reason grants only to that which has been able to withstand its free and public examination (Axi). Enlightenment is about thinking for oneself rather than letting others think for you, according to What is Enlightenment? (8:35). In this essay, Kant also expresses the Enlightenment faith in the inevitability of progress. A few independent thinkers will gradually inspire a broader cultural movement, which ultimately will lead to greater freedom of action and governmental reform. A culture of enlightenment is â€Å"almost inevitable† if only there is â€Å"freedom to make public use of ones reason in all matters† (8:36). The problem is that to some it seemed unclear whether progress would in fact ensue if reason enjoyed full sovereignty over traditional authorities; or whether unaided reasoning would instead lead straight to materialism, fatalism, atheism, skepticism (Bxxxiv), or even libertinism and authoritarianism (8:146). The Enlightenment commitment to the sovereignty of reason was tied to the expectation that it would not lead to any of these consequences but instead would support certain key beliefs that tradition had always sanctioned. Crucially, these included belief in God, the soul, freedom, and the compatibility of science with morality and religion. Although a few intellectuals rejected some or all of these beliefs, the general spirit of the Enlightenment was not so radical. The Enlightenment was about replacing traditional authorities with the authority of individual human reason, but it was not about overturning traditional moral and religious beliefs. Yet the original inspiration for the Enlightenment was the new physics, which was mechanistic. If nature is entirely governed by mechanistic, causal laws, then it may seem that there is no room for freedom, a soul, or anything but matter in motion. This threatened the traditional view that morality requires freedom. We must be free in order to choose what is right over what is wrong, because otherwise we cannot be held responsible. It also threatened the traditional religious belief in a soul that can survive death or be resurrected in an afterlife. So modern science, the pride of the Enlightenment, the source of its optimism about the powers of human reason, threatened to undermine traditional moral and religious beliefs that free rational thought was expected to support. This was the main intellectual crisis of the Enlightenment. The Critique of Pure Reason is Kants response to this crisis. Its main topic is metaphysics because, for Kant, metaphysics is the domain of reason – it is â€Å"the inventory of all we possess through pure reason, ordered systematically† (Axx) — and the authority of reason was in question. Kants main goal is to show that a critique of reason by reason itself, unaided and unrestrained by traditional authorities, establishes a secure and consistent basis for both Newtonian science and traditional morality and religion. In other words, free rational inquiry adequately supports all of these essential human interests and shows them to be mutually consistent. So reason deserves the sovereignty attributed to it by the Enlightenment. 2. 2 Kants Copernican revolution in philosophy To see how Kant attempts to achieve this goal in the Critique, it helps to reflect on his grounds for rejecting the Platonism of the Inaugural Dissertation. In a way the Inaugural Dissertation also tries to reconcile Newtonian science with traditional morality and religion, but its strategy is different from that of the Critique. According to the Inaugural Dissertation, Newtonian science is true of the sensible world, to which sensibility gives us access; and the understanding grasps principles of divine and moral perfection in a distinct intelligible world, which are paradigms for measuring everything in the sensible world. So on this view our knowledge of the intelligible world is a priori because it does not depend on sensibility, and this a priori knowledge furnishes principles for judging the sensible world because in some way the sensible world itself conforms to or imitates the intelligible world. Soon after writing the Inaugural Dissertation, however, Kant expressed doubts about this view. As he explained in a February 21, 1772 letter to his friend and former student, Marcus Herz: In my dissertation I was content to explain the nature of intellectual representations in a merely negative way, namely, to state that they were not modifications of the soul brought about by the object. However, I silently passed over the further question of how a representation that refers to an object without being in any way affected by it can be possible†¦. [B]y what means are these [intellectual representations] given to us, if not by the way in which they affect us? And if such intellectual representations depend on our inner activity, whence comes the agreement that they are supposed to have with objects — objects that are nevertheless not possibly produced thereby? †¦[A]s to how my understanding may form for itself concepts of things completely a priori, with which concepts the things must necessarily agree, and as to how my understanding may formulate real principles concerning the possibility of such concepts, with which principles experience must be in exact agreement and which nevertheless are independent of experience — this question, of how the faculty of understanding achieves this conformity with the things themselves, is still left in a state of obscurity. (10:130–131) Here Kant entertains doubts about how a priori knowledge of an intelligible world would be possible. The position of the Inaugural Dissertation is that the intelligible world is independent of the human understanding and of the sensible world, both of which (in different ways) conform to the intelligible world. But, leaving aside questions about what it means for the sensible world to conform to an intelligible world, how is it possible for the human understanding to conform to or grasp an intelligible world? If the intelligible world is independent of our understanding, then it seems that we could grasp it only if we are passively affected by it in some way. But for Kant sensibility is our passive or receptive capacity to be affected by objects that are independent of us (2:392, A51/B75). So the only way we could grasp an intelligible world that is independent of us is through sensibility, which means that our knowledge of it could not be a priori. The pure understanding alone could at best enable us to form representations of an intelligible world. But since these intellectual representations would entirely â€Å"depend on our inner activity,† as Kant says to Herz, we have no good reason to believe that they conform to an independent intelligible world. Such a priori intellectual representations could well be figments of the brain that do not correspond to anything independent of the human mind. In any case, it is completely mysterious how there might come to be a correspondence between purely intellectual representations and an independent intelligible world. Kants strategy in the Critique is similar to that of the Inaugural Dissertation in that both works attempt to reconcile modern science with traditional morality and religion by relegating them to distinct sensible and intelligible worlds, respectively. But the Critique gives a far more modest and yet revolutionary account of a priori knowledge. As Kants letter to Herz suggests, the main problem with his view in the Inaugural Dissertation is that it tries to explain the possibility of a priori knowledge about a world that is entirely independent of the human mind. This turned out to be a dead end, and Kant never again maintained that we can have a priori knowledge about an intelligible world precisely because such a world would be entirely independent of us. However, Kants revolutionary position in the Critique is that we can have a priori knowledge about the general structure of the sensible world because it is not entirely independent of the human mind. The sensible world, or the world of appearances, is constructed by the human mind from a combination of sensory matter that we receive passively and a priori forms that are supplied by our cognitive faculties. We can have a priori knowledge only about aspects of the sensible world that reflect the a priori forms supplied by our cognitive faculties. In Kants words, â€Å"we can cognize of things a priori only what we ourselves have put into them† (Bxviii). So according to the Critique, a priori knowledge is possible only if and to the extent that the sensible world itself depends on the way the human mind structures its experience. Kant characterizes this new constructivist view of experience in the Critique through an analogy with the revolution wrought by Copernicus in astronomy: Up to now it has been assumed that all our cognition must conform to the objects; but all attempts to find out something about them a priori through concepts that would extend our cognition have, on this presupposition, come to nothing. Hence let us once try whether we do not get farther with the problems of metaphysics by assuming that the objects must conform to our cognition, which would agree better with the requested possibility of an a priori cognition of them, which is to establish something about objects before they are given to us. This would be just like the first thoughts of Copernicus, who, when he did not make good progress in the explanation of the celestial motions if he assumed that the entire celestial host revolves around the observer, tried to see if he might not have greater success if he made the observer revolve and left the stars at rest. Now in metaphysics we can try in a similar way regarding the intuition of objects. If intuition has to conform to the constitution of the objects, then I do not see how we can know anything of them a priori; but if the object (as an object of the senses) conforms to the constitution of our faculty of intuition, then I can very well represent this possibility to myself. Yet because I cannot stop with these intuitions, if they are to become cognitions, but must refer them as representations to something as their object and determine this object through them, I can assume either that the concepts through which I bring about this determination also con.

Monday, July 22, 2019

Kingdom of matthias Essay Example for Free

Kingdom of matthias Essay The Kingdom of Matthias tells the story of Robert Matthews, who later took on the name Matthias the Prophet. A religious charlatan in 1830s New York, Matthews established a Kingdom of fanatical followers, causing a nationwide scandal. Matthews most fervent follower was Elijah Pierson, who was born into a strict Calvinist church upbringing but who quickly got swept up in the evangelical, perfectionist movement upon his move to New York as a merchant. Elijah married a missionary woman named Sarah, and together they established a Retrenchment Society and other organizations designed to spread the word of God. In her fervor, Sarah literally worked herself to death, and died in 1830. The event spurred Elijah toward madness as he attempted to raise Sarah from the dead during funeral. Elijah started to hear God speak and he adopted the title Prophet Elijah of Tishbe. Simultaneous to these events, Robert Matthews was born and raised in a Scottish community called Coila. His parents died when he was young, and after several of his sons tragically died, Matthews began to hear God and see prophetic visions. He adopted the name Matthias. In May 1832, Matthews visited Pierson, and Pierson became convinced that Matthews was Gods Prophet. Matthews used Piersons merchant wealth to establish The Kingdom. Matthews preached regularly to a small band of followers. Eventually, he came to regard Christianity as the Devils work, and his philosophy was full of anti-woman hatred. Matthews convinced a wealthy couple, Benjamin and Ann Folger, of his prophethood, and soon he established a community at the Folger home in Sing Sing, which he called Mount Zion. Matthews ruled his community with an iron fist, dressing extravagantly, bearing an unkempt beard, punishing severely, and lecturing frequently. Not content with the Christian conception of marriage, several of Matthews followers forsake marriage to be united in the Spirit of Truth. This caused a good deal of scandalous wife-swapping, as it might be called today. Matthews and Ann fell for each other, and Matthews proclaimed Ann as the Mother of the kingdom. Benjamin strayed to Matthews twenty-year-old daughter Isabella, as well as to a widow named Catherine Galloway. The sexual intrigue proved too much for the community, and Benjamin and then Ann revolt. Additionally, an increasing public outcry against the Kingdom and its scandals assisted in its dissolution. One day, Elijah Pierson, suffering from seizures, ate blackberries and soon after died. The public rumor was that Matthews, along with his servant Isabella Van Wagenen, had poisoned the man. Matthews was arrested and tried with murder after two doctors conducted an autopsy and claimed there was poison in Piersons stomach. However, the prosecution had only a flimsy case, and the jury found Matthews not guilty of murder, but guilty of assault (for beating his daughter), and so Matthews served four months in prison. The Kingdom of Matthias scandal is noteworthy for sparking the penny press newspapers, with their obsession with crime and scandal, a tradition that continues to this day with such periodicals as National Enquirer.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Efficacy Of Dynamic Splinting Health And Social Care Essay

Efficacy Of Dynamic Splinting Health And Social Care Essay The procedure has proven to both reliable and durable. A successful total knee replacement allows patient to resume almost all activities of daily living with minimal difficulty. In most cases patients no longer require external aids or chronic medications. Finally total knee replacement helps patients to maintain their overall self esteem. Total knee replacement is indicated when there is unremitting severe pain in the knee with or without deformity. The pain/ deformity may be due to osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid arthritis and various non specific arthritis. It relieves pain, provides mobility and correct deformity. Total knee replacement is a surgical procedure in which injured or damaged parts of the knee joint are replaced with artificial parts. The procedure is performed by seperating the muscles and ligaments around the knee to expose the knee capsule. The knee capsule is opened, exposed the inside of the joint. The end of the femur and tibial are removed. The artificial parts are cemented into place. The knee will consist of metal shell at the end of the femur, a metal and plastic trough on the tibia and if needed a plastic button in the cap. In a way this could be more appropriately called a Knee resurfacing operation. The common pathology for total knee replacement is knee flexion contracture. DEFINITION: Flexion contracture is defined as the shortening of the connective tissue thereby stiffening the joint. It is due to tightening of the posterior capsule combined with the tightening of biceps femoris and collateral ligaments. Hence rehabilitation program should be undertaken soon after TKA to maintain joint range of motion. In particular this study examined the value of dynamic splinting in increasing range of motion and reducing the flexion contracture. Dynamic splinting utilizes the biomechanical adaptation of keeping the joint at end-range to achieve a physiological change of molecular realignment to elongate the connective tissue. This protocol of low-load, prolonged-duration stretch with dynamic tension continually reduces the contracture. ANATOMY OF KNEE JOINT: The knee joint is the largest and most complex joint in the body. It is synovial modified hinge joint. It is formed by fusion and medial tibio- femoral and patella- femoral joint. ARTICULAR SURFACES: It is comprised the Femoral condyles: distal end of femur Tibial condyles : proximal end of tibia. Patellar facetes : posterior surface of patella. Femoral condyles: The articular surfaces of femur are pulley shaped. The femoral condyles are convex in both planes. They are extended interiorly by the pulley shaped patellar surfaces. The neck of the pulley is represented anteriorly by the central groove on the patellar surface and posteriorly by the intercondylar notch. 111 Tibial condyle: The tibial surfaces are reciprocally curved and comprises two curved and concave parallel gutters which are separated by a blunt eminence running antero- posteriorly eminence lodges the two intercondylar tubercles. Tibio-femoral joints: The tibial condyles correspond to the femoral condyles while the inter condylar tibial tubercles come to within the femoral intercondylar notch, these surfaces constitute functionally the tibio-femoral joint. Femero-patellar joints: The facets of patella correspond to the patellar surface of the femur while the vertical ridge of the patella fits into the central groove of the femur. LIGAMENTS OF KNEE JOINT: Medial collateral ligament: It is flattened band rhomboidal in outine. It is attached above to the medial epicondyle of femur, below to the medial margin and the adjoining medial surface of tibia. Function: restrain valgus rotation Lateral collateral ligament: Function: restrain varus rotation and resist internal rotation kneeanat Anterior cruciate ligament: It is attached below to the anterior part of the intercondylar area of tibia between the anterior ends of lateral and medial semilunar cartilages. Above it is attached to the posterior part of the medial surface of lateral femoral condyle. Function: To resist anterior displacement of the tibia on the femur when the knee is flexed To resist varus or valgus rotation of the tibia, especially in the absence of the collateral ligaments Resists internal rotation of the tibia. Posterior cruciate ligament: It is attached below to the posterior part of intercondylar area of tibia, posterior to the attachment of posterior end of medial semilunar cartilage. Above it is attached to the anterior part of lateral surface of the medial condyle of femur. Function: To allow femoral rollback in flexion Resist posterior translation of the tibia relative to the femur Controls external rotation of the tibia with increasing knee flexion. Retention of the PCL in total knee replacement has been shown biomechanically to provide normal kinematic rollback of the femur on the tibia. This also is important for improving the lever arm of the quadriceps mechanism with flexion of the knee. MUSCLES OF KNEE JOINT: Quadriceps femoris Popliteus Semitendinosus Semimembranous Sartorius Biceps femoris Gastrocnemius Plantaris BURSAE AROUND THE KNEE JOINT: Anteriorly: The suprapatellar bursa The prepatellar bursa Superficial intrapatellar bursa Deep infrapatellar bursa Laterally: A bursa between lateral collateral ligament and biceps tendon A bursa between lateral collateral ligament and popliteus tendon Popliteus bursa lies between the popliteus and lateral condyle of femur. Medially: The tibial inter tendinous bursa( pes anserine bursa) A bursa between medial collateral ligament and semimembranous tendon A bursa between semimembranous tendon and tibia. Posteriorly: A bursa between lateral head of gastrocnemius and capsule. Semimembranous bursa(brodies bursa) NERVE SUPPLY: Femoral nerve Sciatic nerve Obturator nerve BLOOD SUPPLY: The arterial supply to knee joint, is from the branches of Popliteal artery Femoral artery Tibial artery TIBIO-FEMORAL ARTHROKINEMATICS: Viewed in the sagittal plane, the femurs articulating surface is convex while the tibias in concave. We can predict arthrokinematics based on the rules of concavity and convexity: During Knee Extension During Knee Flexion Open Chain Closed Chain Open Chain Closed Chain Tibia Glides Anteriorly On Femur Femur Glides Posteriorly On Tibia Tibia Glides Posteriorly On Femur Femur Glides Anteriorly On Tibia from 20o knee flexion to full extension from full knee extension to 20o flexion Tibia rotates externally Femur rotates internally on stable tibia Tibia rotates internally Femur rotates externally on stable tibia THE SCREW-HOME MECHANISM: Rotation between the tibia and femur occurs automatically between full extension (0o) and 20o of knee flexion. These figures illustrate the top of the right tibial plateau as we look down on it during knee motion. top of tibial plateau top of tibial plateau top of tibial plateau During Knee Extension, the tibia glides anteriorly on the femur. During the last 20 degrees of knee extension, anterior tibial glide persists on the tibias medial condyle because its articular surface is longer in that dimension than the lateral condyles. Prolonged anterior glide on the medial side produces external tibial rotation, the screw-home mechanism. THE SCREW-HOME MECHANISM REVERSES DURING KNEE FLEXION top of tibial plateau top of tibial plateau top of tibial plateau When the knee begins to flex from a position of full extension, posterior tibial glide begins first on the longer medial condyle. Between 0 deg. extension and 20 deg. of flexion, posterior glide on the medial side produces relative tibial internal rotation, a reversal of the screw-home mechanism. TOTAL KNEE REPLACEMENT Total knee replacement is indicated when there is unremitting severe pain in the knee with or without deformity. The pain/ deformity may e due to osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid arthritis and various non specific arthritis. It relieves pain, provides mobility and correct deformity. Total knee replacement is a surgical procedure in which injured or damaged parts of the knee joint are replaced with artificial parts. The procedure is performed by seperating the muscles and ligaments around the knee to expose the knee capsule. The knee capsule is opened, exposed the inside of the joint. The end of the femur and tibial are removed. The artificial parts are cemented into place. The knee will consist of metal shell at the end of the femur, a metal and plastic trough on the tibia and if needed a plastic button in the cap. In a way this could be more appropriately called a Knee resurfacing operation. E:New FolderNAGU PROJECTimAGESTotal-Knee-Replacement.jpg The total knee replacement can be: Unicompartmental arthroplasty: The Articular surface of femur and tibia, either the medial or lateral compartment of the knee are replaced by an implant. Eg: osteoathritis. Bicomprtmental arthroplasty: In bicompartmental arthroplasty, the articular surface of tibia and femur of both medial and lateral compartments of the knee joints are replaced by an implant. The third compartment i.e.., the patellofemoral joint is however left intact. Tricomprtmental arthroplasty: the articular surface of the lower femur, upper tibia and patella are replaced by prosthesis. Most commonly performed arthroplsty. The prosthesis consists of a tibial component, a metal femoral component and a high molecular weight polyethylene button for articular surface of the patella. TKA GOALS Restore mechanical alignment [neutral tibiofemoral alignment = 4 °-6 ° of anatomic valgus], Horizontal joint line, Soft tissue balance (ligament), (Patella tracking (Q-angle) INDICATION Oteoarthritis Rheumatoid arthritis Hemophilic arthritis Traumatic arthritis Sero negative arthrides Crystal deposition disease Pigmented villonoular synovitis Avascular necrosis Bone dysplasias Asymmetric arthrits CONTRA INDICATION Absolute contraindications Recent or curren joint infection Sepsis or systematic infection Neuropathic arthropathy Painful solid knee fusion Relative contraindications Severe osteoporosis Debilated poor health Non functioning extensor mechanism Painless, well functioning arthrodesis Significant peripheral vascular diseases TKA Complications Death: 0.53% Periprosthetic Infection: 0.71% Pulmonary emboli: 0.41% Patella fracture: Component Loosening: Tibial tray wear: Peroneal Nerve Palsy: 0.3% to 2% Periprosthetic Femur Fracture: Periprosthetic Tibial Fracture: Wound Complications / Skin slough: rare Patellar Clunk Syndrome: rare Patellofemoral Instability: 0.5%-29% DVT: Instability: Popliteal artery injury: 0.05% Quadriceps Tendon Rupture: 0.1% Patellar Tendon Rupture: Stiffness: Fat Embolism MCL rupture NEED AND SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY: Need of the study: To reduce flexion contracture To improve range of motion To improve functional activity Significance of the study: This study is to evaluate the efficacy of dynamic splinting for knee flexion contracture following a total knee arthroplasty. Statement of the problem: To study the efficacy of dynamic splinting for knee flexion contracture following a total knee arthroplasty. Hence the study is entitled as efficacy of dynamic splinting for knee flexion contracture following a total knee arthroplasty. Objectives: To reduce flexion contracture To improve range of motion To analyze the effect of dynamic knee splint Null hypothesis: The null hypothesis can be stated as follows there is no significant difference in knee flexion contracture after the application of dynamic knee splint. Alternate hypothesis: The hypothesis can be stated as follows there is significant difference in knee flexion contracture after the application of dynamic knee splint. 2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE: 1. TOTAL KNEE ARTHROPLASTY: Simon H Palmer, MD, Consultant Surgeon: Sep 21, 2010 Osteoarthritis destruction of the knee is the most common reason for total knee replacement. Jayant joshi, prakash kotwal says that total knee replacement relieves pain, provides mobility corrects deformity. 2. FLEXION CONTRACTURE: J. Ilyas; A.H. Deakin; C. Brege; and F. Picard Flexion contracture is a common deformity encountered in patients requiring total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Department of orthopaedics, golden jubilee national hospital, clydebank, glasgow, g81 4hx, uk. One hundred and four continuous TKA were completed by a single consultant using the OrthoPilot (BBraun, Aesculap) navigation system and Columbus implants. Seventy-four knees had preoperative flexion contracture (including neutral knees) while 30 were in hyperextension. Ouellet D, Moffet H. Arthritis Rheum October 2002 Large movement deficits are present, especially in single-limb support pre-op and 2 months following TKA. Huei-Ming Chai, PHD. November 24, 2008 total knee arthroplasty limits range of motion 3. DYNAMIC SPLINT: Dennis l armstrong, m.d. Buck willis, phd evaluates the efficacy of dynamic knee extension splinting for knee flexion contracture following TKA. Finger  E, Willis  FB Health Physical Education, Recreation, Texas State University, Cases Journal 2008, Physical therapy alone did not fully reduce the contracture and dynamic splinting was then prescribed for daily low-load, prolonged-duration stretch. Finger E, Willis B 29Dec2008: Dynasplint offers extension Systems to aid in rehabilitation and recovery from flexion contracture. Clinical studies have demonstrated greatest average reduction in rehabilitation time and cost with the use of Dynasplint Systems in conjunction with physical therapy. Willis FB Biomechanics.2008 Jan; 15 After surgery, a patient is often left with shortened connective tissue and may have a difficult time walking normally again. Wearing a dynamic knee splint will lengthen and remodel the tissue to restore range of motion. McClure P, Blackburn L, Dusold C Ideally, wearing your Dynasplint for 6-8 continuous hours yields the best results as it allows a safe, long lasting remodeling of the soft tissue. Cliffordr.Wheeless, Iii, Md.December3, 2008. The purpose of this report is to review the use of external fixator for the gradual correction of severe knee flexion contractures that limit patient function. James f. Mooney iii, md, l. Andrew koman Posted: 05/01/2001 Average preoperative flexion contracture was 80.5 °. Each patient achieved full extension. There was one recurrence, despite bracing, which was managed with replacement of the fixator and soft tissue procedures 4. CONVENTIONAL PHYSICAL THERAPY FOR KNEE ARTHRITIS: Jan.K.Richardson, Pt, Phd, Ocs Said that arthritis is a degenerative disease of the cartilage and bones that results in pain and stiffness in affected joint. There is no cure for arthritis, but physical therapy can make living easier and less painful. Brigham And Womens Hospital Department of Rehabilitation Services Physical Therapy .ROM along with proper soft tissue balance is required to ensure proper biomechanics in the knee joint. Aggressive post-operative PT has been shown to be effective in improving patient outcomes and shortening length of stay Balint G And Sz Ebenyl.B Showed that therapeutic exercises decreases pain, increases muscle fatigue and range of motion as well as improve endurance and aerobic capacity. Weight reduction is proven in obese patients with OA of knee. Therapeutic heat and cold, electrotherapy, acupuncture are widely used. Dr. Margriet van baar reported that significant beneficial effects from exercise therapy including improvements in self reported pain, disability, walking ability and overall sense of well being. Dorr LD.   J Arthroplasty June 2002 CPM helps achieve knee range of motion quicker in first post-op weeks but at final follow-ups, no difference in final range of motion Byrne, et al.   Clin Biomech October 2002 Deficits in knee strength balanced by increased hip extensor work; rehab should optimize bilateral hip and knee function after TKA McManus et al 2006, Jorge et al 2006 the higher frequencies (90-130Hz) to stimulate the pain gate mechanisms thereby mask the pain symptoms. Ozcan et al, 2004 Low frequency nerve stimulation is physiologically effective (as with TENS and NMES) and this is the key to IFT intervention. Adedoyin, R. A., et al. (2002).IFT acts primarily on the excitable (nerve) tissues, the strongest effects are likely to be those which are a direct result of such stimulation (i.e. pain relief and muscle stimulation). National Taiwan University Hospital, November 2008 PNF stretching techniques has been used frequently for patients with total knee arthroplasty in clinical practice to increase range of motion effectively and reduced knee pain during exercise. Huei-Ming Chai, PHD November 24, 2008 PNF stretching technique is a therapeutic technique using the PNF concept to the related muslces either to increase neuro-inhibition mechanism for releasing muscle spasm and elongating muscle length, or to increase neuro-excitation mechanism for enhancing muscle strength Harold B. James H. Beaty, MD Range-of-motion exercises, muscle strengthening, gait training, and instruction in performing activities of daily living are important. 5. GONIOMETRIC MEASURENT FOR ROM: Carlos Lavernia, MD, Range of motion assessment through direct observation without a goniometer provides inaccurate findings. Mark D. Rossi, PhD, PT, CSCS The Journal of Arthroplasty Vol. 23 No. 6 Suppl. 1 2008 Measured scores using a goniometer provided an improved degree of accuracy, but results appear to be dependent on the clinician performing the measurement. Richard l. Gajdosik Associate Professor Physical therapists may accept most knee goniometric measurements as clinically valid, and the evidence indicates that most of these measurements are reliable. 6. KNEE SOCIETY SCORE: Gil Scuderi, MD-Chair; Jim Benjamin, MD; Jess Lonner, MD; Bob Bourne, MD and Norm Scott, MD, 2007,The Knee Society rating system (KSS) was first published in CORR in 1989 and has become the standard clinical evaluation system for reporting results for patients undergoing Total Knee Replacement. John N. Insall, MD, Lawrence D. Dorr, Scott, MD Rationale of the Knee Society clinical rating system. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 1989 Nov:The Knee Society has proposed this new rating system to be simple but more exacting and more objective. MD, Richard D. Scott, MD, and W. Norman It is hoped the knee society rating system will become universally accepted and will be adopted by all authors, even if they wish to report results using a customary scoring method as well. 3. MATERIALS AND METHODOLOGY: MATERIALS: Evaluation tool: Goniometry Knee society score Outcome measure: Range of motion Knee score Function score Material used: Dynamic knee splint METHODOLOGY: (A) Study design: 30 subjects with flexion contracture following unilateral TKA assigned in two groups. GROUP A: 15 subjects: Dynamic Splint Along With Conventional Physiotherapy. GROUP B: 15 subjects: Conventional Physiotherapy. (B) Study setting: This study was carried out in the department of physical medicine and rehabilitation, Sri Ramakrishna hospital, Coimbatore. (C) Study duration: This study was carried out for a period of 6 months. (D) Sampling: Random sampling. INCLUSION CRITERIA: Age: 45 to 70 years. Both sex Flexion contracture : 20 12 deg (post operatively) Unilateral TKA Reduced flexibility in AROM of knee extension Pain that is worsened by bending over while legs are straight Impaired gait pattern Ability to understand informed consent and experiment responsibilities EXCLUSION CRITERIA: Fractures Bilateral TKA TKA Knee sepsis Osteomyelitis or any orthopedic infection Extensor mechanism dysfunction Psoriasis Knee joint neuropathy Previous Stroke or Brain Injury STATISTICS TOOL: The data collected was analyzed using independent t-test. The test was carried out between two groups. Independentt test was used to compare the effectiveness of treatment between the groups. t = S = X1 = Difference between pretest and posttest values of Group I X2 = Difference between pretest and posttest values of Group II = Mean difference of Group I = Mean difference of Group II n1 = No. of samples in Group I n2 = No. of samples in Group II S = Combined standard deviation TREATMENT: Dynamic knee Extension splint: The Rebound Effect http://www.dynasplint.com/uploads/user-uploads/rebound2.gif 53% Average Reduction in Time and Cost Associated with ROM Rehabilitation High-force, short-duration stretching favors recoverable, elastic tissue deformation, whereas low-force, long-duration stretching enhances permanent plastic deformation. In the clinical setting, high force application has a greater risk of causing pain and possibly ruptures of tissue. Dynasplint Systems improve range of motion by creating permanent, non-traumatic tissue elongation and remodeling, thus virtually eliminating the range of motion rebound effect often observed in the clinical setting. RangerKnee2 Features Benefits LLPS (Low-Load, Prolonged-Duration Stretch) technology has been proven to successfully treat joint stiffness and limited range of motion. Early application can reduce time and cost associated with range of motion rehabilitation Simple, adjustable and reproducible bilateral tensioning System Available for rent or purchase Biomechanically correct Comfortable to wear Each Dynasplint System is recycled to reduce waste and help the environment A Dynasplint Systems consultant will fit your patients and oversee their treatment to ensure the best possible results Over a quarter of a million patients have been successfully treated with Dynasplint Systems Conveniently labeled and easy to use Patient Wearing Protocol Please review the tension your Dynasplint consultant set for you initially. In the beginning, the splint should be worn for 2-4 hours. Do not increase the tension until you can tolerate overnight wear. Time is the most important factor and your first goal should be 6-8 hours of pain free wear. After achieving this time goal, when you take the splint off if you have less than 1 hour of post-wear stiffness, turn tension up by one on both sides. However if you are unable to wear the splint for a prolonged period of time, decrease the tension by a half to one full turn. During the process of regaining your range of motion, if you have any question or concerns contact your Dynasplint consultant. http://www.wheelessonline.com/images/i1/imk11.jpg CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT: MODALITIES FOR PAIN CONTROL, EDEMA REDUCTION: Moist Heat Functional electrical stimulation Transcutaneous electrical stimulation Ice therapy Interferential therapy Galvanic Stimulation JOINT MOBILIZATION: Flexion restriction Position: patient seated Posterior glide of tibia on femur-grade 3 Oscillation with 30 second hold, Repeated 5 times with patellar mobilization of inferior glides (5 mins) Extension restriction Position: patient prone with patella off of table Anterior glide of tibia on femur- grade 3 oscillation and static hold (10 secs in 3 repetitions) with patellar mobilization superior glides (5 mins) EXERCISE PROGRAM: Closed and open kinetic chain strengthening exercises Proprioceptive/balance exercises targeting the trunk and lower extremity musculature Partial body weighted squats Gait training Range of motion exercises Heel slide (supine sitting) Stretching (prone/supine) to increase knee extension ROM GAIT TRAINING: Forward Walking Sidestepping Backward or Retro-Walking FUNCTIONAL TRAINING: Standing Transfer Activities Lifting Carrying Pushing or Pulling Squatting or Crouching Return-to-Work Tasks ENDURANCE TRAINING: Upper body exercise. Ambulation activities One-leg cycling, using non-operative leg with resistance to motion. BALANCE/PROPRIOCEPTION TRAINING: Tandem Walking Lateral Stepping over/around objects Weight-Shifting Activities Closed Kinetic Chain Activities 5. DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION: KNEE EXTENSION ROM: GROUP I Pre test (Two months after TKA) Post test (conventional PT with SPLINT) Difference X1 16 0 16 16 1 15 16 2 14 16 2 14 16 4 12 14 0 14 14 0 14 14 1 13 14 1 13 14 2 12 12 0 12 12 0 12 12 1 11 12 1 11 12 1 11 Mean=12.93 PRE TEST AND POST KNEE EXTENSION ROM: GROUP I KNEE EXTENSION ROM: GROUP II Pre test (Two months after TKA) Post test (conventional PT without splint) Difference X2 18 7 11 18 6 12 18 6 12 18 6 12 18 4 14 16 7 9 16 7 9 16 4 12 16 4 12 16 4 12 14 3 11 14 4 10 14 4 12 14 2 12 14 2 12 Mean=11.46 t=2.82 s.dev=1.42 degrees of freedom = 28 The probability of this result, assuming the null hypothesis, is 0.009 PRE TEST AND POST KNEE EXTENSION ROM: GROUP II KNEE SCORE AND FUNCTION SCORE: S.No. Parameters Groups Mean S.D.Value t Value 1. Knee Scores Group A 18 4.47 3.06 Group B 13 2. Function Score Group A 35.6 4.98 3.01 Group B 30.1 MEAN DIFFERENCE BETWEEN KNEE SCORE AND FUNCTION SCORE DEMOGRAPHIC DATA THE AGE OF THE SAMPLES BETWEEN 45 -70 YEARS IN EACH GROUP Age (years) No. of Samples Total Group A Group B 45-50 4 3 7 50-55 5 4 9 55-60 2 5 7 60-65 2 2 4 65-70 2 1 3 TOTAL NUMBER OF MALES AND FEMALES IN EACH GROUP Sex No. of Samples Total Group A Group B Male 8 10 18 Females 7 5 12 TOTAL NUMBER OF RIGHT AND LEFT SIDE INVOLVEMENT IN EACH GROUP Side of involvement No. of Samples Total Group A Group B Right 11 8 19 Left 4 7 11 5. DISCUSSION Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is considered the treatment of choice for patients with intractable pain and substantial functional disabilities who have not had acceptable relief and functional improvement after conservative treatment. Knee flexion contracture is a common pathology following TKA affecting up to 61% of these patients. The purpose of the study is to determine the effectiveness of dynamic splinting in treating patients with flexion contracture following Unilateral TKA. Literature review states that there is significant difference between dynamic splinting and conventional physiotherapy management in reducing flexion contracture following Unilateral TKA. A total of thirty patients with unilateral TKA were selected under inclusive criteria and were randomly allocated into an experimental group and control group as Group A and group B respectively. In each group 15 Individuals were allotted In Group A, dynamic splint along with conventional physiotherapy was given and in Group B, Conventional physiot